I sent this to the list when I heard there were people having problems 1.5 years ago with sending text (ASCII) only emails to the list. Here it is again with updates. Hopefully it will get archived this time.
--- HOW DO I STOP AOL FROM SENDING HTML TO THE INTERNET? Ripped from various places on the Internet. With the release of version 6.0 of its Windows client software (and continued in Windows AOL 7.0 and 8.0, and AOL for Mac OS X 10.2.1), AOL began to embrace the use of full HTML in email (see FAQ item 8). This included a controversial feature in the sending of email to the Internet, in which messages were sent in a format known as multipart/alternative (see RFC 2046, 5.1.4), which uses MIME enclosures to include two copies of every message: one in plain text, and one in HTML. Ideally, Internet email programs should be designed to display the version that they understand. HTML-compliant programs can display the HTML section, showing the formatting that the original sender included with the message; while text-only programs would only show the text section. Even HTML-enabled programs could be made to allow their users to choose (or switch to) the text portion if they prefer simplicity. However, some Internet email programs were never designed to recognize these MIME sections, resulting in the recipient of such a message seeing both the plain text and HTML versions of the email. This also causes problems with some mail systems that will not accept individual lines in excess of 998 characters (per RFC 2822, 2.1.1), and AOL (like many mailers) does not wrap lines in HTML messages. This issue was partially corrected in AOL 7.0, which does not send HTML if the user sticks with the default font and formatting. The problem got worse in AOL for Windows 8.0 and AOL for Mac OS X 10.2.1, neither of which seem to be capable of sending plain text email. (Amusingly, AOL versions prior to AOL 6.0 for Windows and AOL 5.1 for Mac OS X are not very good at handling multipart messages. Although mail sent from a member using AOL 6.0 or later directly to someone using AOL 5.0 or earlier will not show both copies, the same mail sent first through the Internet (perhaps through a mailing list) will result in the AOL recipient seeing both copies.) (Thanks to John W. Johnston for identifying the line length issue.) BEST SOLUTION FOR ALL AOL VERSIONS If you are using AOL 6.0, 7.0 or 8.0, then you need to log on to AOL and select either Netscape or Internet Explorer as your browser -- Do not use AOL's web browser. Launch the browser, and type "www.aol.com" in the URL field. Sign on with your screen name and password. Click on mail. You will then be able to submit messages using AOL's "AOL Mail on the Web" service. ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS (USING NATIVE AOL MAIL CLIENT) Ideally, users should try to pick a version of AOL that allows better control of the sending of HTML email (such as AOL 7 for Windows, AOL 5.1 for Mac OS X, or AOL 5 for either platform), or use some other method of sending AOL mail. AOL 6.0 for Windows When communicating with Internet recipients who are not using an email program capable of selecting which MIME section to view, an AOL 6.0 user can turn off the HTML by taking the following steps exactly as described: Change your global email preferences (only needs to be done once): Go to Keyword: Preferences (or choose Preferences from the Settings menu on the AOL 6.0 toolbar). Click on Font, Text, & Graphics Preferences. Click on the Reset button at the bottom of the resulting window. Do not make any changes in the Font Preferences area of the window. Click on the Save button. Change a specific email to plain text (must be done for every email): Compose and address the email as desired. Choose Select All from the Edit menu to highlight the entire message. With the mouse arrow somewhere over the highlighted text, click the Right mouse button, revealing a contextual menu (AKA Right-Click). Choose Normal from the Text menu. Taking care not to make any further changes to the message, send it. Note that changing the text to normal will eliminate the "blue bar" quoted text indicator, but will not remove some HTML elements of the quoted text. The entire quoted section must be deleted (or simply not quoted in the first place), followed by the re-entry of the text quoted manually, prior to changing the text to normal. Changing the text to normal will also eliminate any styled text that would have been seen by AOL recipients of the message, which cannot be re-added. Testing also suggests that messages with hyperlinks cannot be converted to normal text, requiring the prior removal of the link. Finally, one must suppress their email signature if it contains any styled text, as that will push the whole message back into HTML. (Thanks to Carpenma for identifying step two of the plain text solution. Thanks to LuvsAfGrey for pointing out the signature issue.) AOL 7.0 for Windows AOL 7.0 only requires step one, above: using the global default font face, size, style, and color. Any attempt to change the font face, size, style, or color within the body of an email will send the email in HTML, as will any attempt to use a different default font face, size, style, or color. Like AOL 6, AOL 7 will uses HTML when quoting a message (displaying the quoted portion with a blue line in the left margin). And like AOL 6, choosing Text > Normal will eliminate any indication that the text was quoted. However, unlike AOL 6, the message will now be sent in plain text. The quoted portion will need to be manually quoted, however. Like AOL 6, a formatted signature in AOL 7 may force the message into HTML. Confused yet? AOL 8.0 for Windows, AOL 10.2.1 for Mac OS X These versions seem incapable of sending plain text email. OTHER MAIL CLIENTS Microsoft Outlook >From the toolbar, on the "Tools" menu, select the "Options..." button, then select the "Mail Format" tab. Under "Send in this Format", select "Plain Text", and press the "OK" button. Microsoft Outlook Express >From the toolbar, on the "Tools" menu, select the "Options..." button, then select the "Send" tab. Under "Mail Sending Format", select "Plain text". Press the "OK" button. In both Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express -- To set Plain Text format for only selected addressees (e.g. the address of a JewishGen mailing list): In your e-mail address book, click on your entry for the JewishGen Mailing List, then select "Properties" and then the "Name" tab. At the lower left is a checkbox for "Send E-mail using plain text only". Checking this box will ensure that any e-mail you send to this specific address will be in Plain Text format, even if your default format is HTML. Netscape Messenger 4.7 >From the toolbar, select "Edit", then "Preferences...". Under category "Mail & Newsgroups", select the sub-category "Formatting". If you wish to send all of your messages in "Plain Text" format, then select "Use the plain text editor to compose messages". Then press the "OK" button, and you're finished. However, if you wish to send messages in HTML format to all but JewishGen mailing lists (and other selected recipients), click on "Use the HTML editor to compose messages". Then look under "When sending HTML messages to recipients who are not listed as being able to receive them" and click on "Ask me what to do if the message has HTML formatting, otherwise send plain text". Then press the "OK" button. Now, to set "Plain Text" format for specific addressees, open your Address Book (from the menu bar, click on 'Communicator', then 'Address Book'). If you do not have an address for the JewishGen or SIG mailing list in your Address Book, then create one. Click on the 'New Card' icon in the tool box; fill in the appropriate information in the New Card window, and be sure leave blank the box "Prefers to receive rich text (HTML) mail". If you already have an Address Book entry for the JewishGen or SIG mailing list, double click on that entry. Make sure that the check box is blank next to "Prefers to receive rich text (HTML) mail". When you send a message to the JewishGen mailing list or your SIG, if your message contains HTML formatting, a window entitled "HTML Mail Question" will appear. You may then select "Send in Plain Text Only" and click on "Send". Netscape Mail 7.0 >From the toolbar, select "Edit", then "Mail & Newsgroup Account Settings...". In the main "Account Settings" screen, uncheck the box "Compose Messages in HTML format". Eudora On the menu bar, click on "Tools", then "Options". Under "Category", scroll down to and click on "Styled Text". If you wish to send all of your messages in Plain Text format, you may click on "Send plain text only" and leave blank "Ask me each time." Then click "OK" at the bottom. However, if you wish to send messages in HTML format to all but JewishGen mailing lists (and other selected recipients), then click on either "Send both plain and styled" or "Send styled text only" and click on "Ask me each time". Click "OK" at the bottom. This will give you final control of how a message is sent. Now, whenever you send an e-mail message, a window will appear that asks you "Do you want to send plain text, styled text or both?". Then click on the appropriate selection. For JewishGen mailing lists, only "Plain Text" format should be used. MSN Mail It is not possible to send "Plain Text" messages using MSN Mail. You must use an alternate e-mail program, such as Hotmail, Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora or Netscape. Hotmail In the Compose window of Hotmail, if you see a Toolbar immediately above the section where you type your message, then your message will be sent as a Rich-Text message in HTML format. To revert to "Plain Text", look immediately above the left side of that toolbar for the "Tools" selection box. Click on the arrow, and then click on "Rich Text Editor OFF." A warning window will pop up asking if you want to do this -- click OK. The toolbar will disappear and you will now be set up to send in Plain Text format. Thomas T. Thai / Whittier __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
